


Old Man Harvey!

by Je55y



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Accidents, Aging, Alcohol, Attraction, Blood, Blood and Injury, British Comedy, British English, Caring, Crush at First Sight, Desire, Doctor/Patient, Drinking, F/M, Falling In Love, First Dates, First Love, Fun, Funny, Hurt/Comfort, Laughter, Love at First Sight, MMORPGs, Medical Examination, Medicine, Nervousness, Non-Consensual Touching, Older Man/Younger Woman, Pain, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Runescape - Freeform, Secret Crush, Shyness, Snow and Ice, Sobbing, Stuttering, Sweet, Teasing, Touching, Touchy-Feely, Winter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:27:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24979924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Je55y/pseuds/Je55y
Summary: This is a story about Harvey as an older man. He’s 47 and really starting to feel his age. He’s greying, his belly is slightly podgy, and he’s wondering how so many years have passed him by.It’s a sweet love story between Harvey and the farmer who’s a giant of a woman called Bobby 😍.****30/01/2021 - UPDATE COMING SOON****
Relationships: Harvey (Stardew Valley)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 50
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

Harvey glanced at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He ran his fingers through his hair and frowned at the greyness over his ears and through his sideburns. How had he got so old?

He looked down at his stomach, which was once trim and firm, and let out a deep sigh. He grabbed the wobbly flesh with both hands and gave it a jiggle. How had he let himself get so out of shape? It was a rhetorical question, he knew the answer; too many microwave ready meals and not nearly enough exercise! He’d stopped attending his keep fit classes after he threw his back out reaching under the sofa for the last Malteser that had escaped his grasp.

He turned the shower on and after it had heated up he stepped into the cubicle. The hot water soothed his aching bones. The shower head needed cleaning out; the buildup of calcium had blocked many of the tiny spray holes. He should have replaced it months ago but he actually liked the way the water pressure pummelled his muscles, it was like a deep massage and really helped loosen him up in the mornings.

After his steamy shower he got dressed. He slid open his wardrobe door and selected his usual shirt-tie-chino combination. He was about to slide the door closed when he reconsidered it and grabbed a vest from the pile. It was winter after all!

He smoothed out his hair, cleaned the smudges off the lenses of his glasses, and put on his shoes. He sat on the edge of his bed and waited for his working day to begin. The digital alarm clock on his bedside cabinet flashed from 08:59 to 09:00. Time for work!

He took the stairs two at a time, eager to start his day. As his apartment was situated above the clinic he was never late for work, not once in all of his time in Pelican Town.

‘Good morning Doc!’ Maru, his receptionist, greeted him.

‘Good morning Maru,’ he smiled back at her. He always had a smile for her. She was after all, his secret crush. No one could ever know though, he’d hate it if anyone ever found out. He was forty seven and she was in her late twenties. She was too young for him, but he could still dream. ‘Any patients to see this morning?’

‘Just the one this morning, and two this afternoon.’ She handed him a mug of coffee. The mug had a little red aeroplane doing a loop-de-loop on the side. It was his favourite work mug. He took a sip and beamed at her.

‘Oh that’s a good coffee.’

‘I’m glad you like it. I made it at home. Dad splashed out and bought a new coffee machine.’

He took a mouthful, let the liquid wash over his tongue and then swallowed it. It was indeed a great cup of coffee, perhaps one of the best he’d ever had.

‘So umm… who am I seeing this morning?’ He placed the cup down on the reception desk and leaned over Maru’s shoulder to view the computer monitor. He caught a whiff of her delicate perfume and felt a flutter in his chest. He could smell the remnants of the coconut shampoo she’d used in her hair. He closed his eyes; he was intoxicated by being in such close proximity to her. Should he ‘accidentally’ brush his hand against the bronze skin on her arm? No no! Definitely not, that would arouse too much suspicion and perhaps arouse something else too!

‘Your first appointment is actually a home visit.’

‘Really? Who am I seeing?’ Her voice had dragged him away from his lust-filled thoughts. He squinted at the tiny text displayed on the monitor. He knew it was most likely about time he’d considered getting a pair of reading glasses. It was his pride that stopped him from purchasing a pair. The font Maru had chosen was very blurry.

‘The farmer - uh, Roberta Fraser. She called early but I told her you weren’t up yet. She’s injured her arm and wondered if you could pop by to take a look.’

‘Didn’t you tell her I only visit in an emergency?’

‘I did, but she was quite adamant that you should visit her. She said she couldn’t leave her farm because she was incredibly busy.’

Harvey swapped his work shoes for his faux fur lined boots, which took great effort to pull on. Maru, with an amused smirk on her face, helped him with the laces. He pushed his arms into the sleeves of his thick winter jacket and zipped it up; it was green - his favourite colour. 

‘Don’t forget your helmet Doc,’ Maru reminded him as he was about to leave without it. He gave her a goofy smile and a military salute and scooped his helmet up.

Outside the clinic, right in front of the window, was his vehicle. His bright green quad bike sat waiting for him. He swept his gloved hand across the layer of fluffy snow that had settled on the seat and handlebars.

The quad bike still had that new car smell to it. He’d bought it four months ago on a whim. Some of the folks in the Stardrop saloon had ribbed him about it, even suggested he was having a midlife crisis. He probably was, but he’d never admit that to them. Pam, the local bus driver, teasingly asked him if they also sold adult-sized bikes in the store where he bought it from. Shane had mocked his goggles, and told him he looked like a dork.

Harvey climbed up into the seat and turned the key. The engine came to life. He put on his helmet, fastened the buckle under his neck, and pulled the goggles down over his eyes. He smiled. He didn’t think he looked dorky at all. He opened the throttle and sped off towards Timbertree Farm.

It was less than a five minute journey by bike. The ride was still exhilarating, even if the journey was only a short one. His smile beamed when he looked into one of the mirrors and saw the snow billowing behind him.

When he arrived at the farm he killed the engine with a turn of the key and dismounted his quad bike. The bike dipped as he climbed down from the seat. He removed his helmet and hung it, by the strap, over one of the handlebars.

He brushed his floppy hair off his forehead with his fingers and trudged through the snow. His snow boots did their job at keeping him grounded, he didn’t slip once. His medical bag swung heavily at his side; still as loyal as when he’d bought it twenty three years ago. The leather was scuffed and a little worn around the edges, but like him it continued to hold together and perform its duty.

Harvey made his way along the slushy dirt path until he came to the wooden gate. He lifted the latch and swung the gate forward; it squealed on its hinges. The farm looked barren, the winter in the valley had been a harsh one. Hardly anything grew during the cold season, and Timbertree Farm had miles and miles of empty snow covered fields.

The stairs leading up to the farmhouse porch had a sheen to them that made Harvey move cautiously. He placed his free hand on the wooden handrail and took each step carefully. On the third step one of his boots lost traction and he lost his balance. He tried to steady himself by holding on to the rail but he lost his grip and his legs were forced into the splits. He landed on his balls with a thump. He cried out so loudly that his voice echoed back at him from in the distance. He clutched his throbbing groin tenderly and he waited for the sickening pain to subside.

He looked up when he heard the door creak open. A pair of mud-encrusted boots came into view as the farmer stepped onto the porch. She held a rather meaty hand out to him. He felt his cheeks redden. He took her rough calloused hand and was amazed when she pulled him up to his feet with hardly any effort.

‘Aren’t you meant to be my saviour, not the other way around?’ she chuckled. ‘Do you want me to get you a bag of frozen peas from the freezer?’

‘I’m Dr H...H-arvey from the clinic.’ His hand went to the back of his head, there was a spot he liked to scratch when he felt nervous or embarrassed. ‘I was told you w...w-ere in need of my assistant… uh I mean my assistance.’

There was no need to stoop his neck to meet her eye level. She was almost as tall as he was, she had to have been at least six foot two if not in fact six foot three! He’d never met such a tall woman before, and she wasn’t just tall… she was stocky too. Her shoulders were rounded, her arms looked like thick tree branches, and her boot size had to be at least a size ten!

‘Well Dr Harvey, you’d better come in.’ She scooped up his medical bag and carried it into her farmhouse with a smile. ‘You sure I can’t get you those peas?’

He felt the heat rise even hotter in his cheeks. He shook his head and followed her indoors; his groin still pulsating and tender.

Her farmhouse was quite modestly furnished. She appeared to live a simple life in her semi-open plan home. On the left was a neat little kitchen with a huge cast iron aga oven that was cooking something delicious smelling. Mmmm… Bacon! On the right there was a living room with a blazing fireplace and a large armchair that looked rather inviting. There was a room to the right, behind a closed door, off the living area which Harvey assumed must have been the bedroom. He was dying to know how big the bed was.

‘Could I offer you a drink? Glass of water, cup of tea, can of Pepsi?’ she called back to him whilst rummaging about in the fridge.

‘Do you h...h-ave any coffee?’ his voice trembled. It felt very hot in her house compared to outside; but it was almost stifling. He unzipped his jacket but then looked down at his podgy belly and zipped it back up to halfway.

‘I sure do!’ she replied chirpily, ‘milk and sugar?’ She held the milk up.

‘Black, no sugar. If it’s no trouble.’

‘No trouble at all.’ She put the milk away and closed the fridge door heavily. She took some large mugs down from one of the wall-mounted cupboards; they clinked together as she set them down.

He glanced over at the fireplace, and stared transfixed whilst the farmer made the drinks. The flames, almost finger-like in appearance, drew him in. The orange swirls flickered and danced before him as if trying to tempt him into sitting in that armchair. The aroma of coffee caught his attention and pulled him out of his trance.

‘Here you go Doc.’ The farmer handed him a mug. ‘I hope it’s how you like it.’ She stared, seeming to want him to try it there and then.

Harvey felt under pressure. He took a sip and swallowed hard. Her eyes were on him, watching, waiting for his reaction.

‘It’s delicious!’ He took another sip. ‘It really is!’ He smiled so wide that his cheeks ached.

The farmer chuckled loudly. ‘Some of the folk in the village, actually quite a few of the folk, told me that the Doc was quite fond of a strong cup of coffee. I’m glad you like it, especially after I made it from the coffee beans I grew on my farm.’

Harvey felt his cheeks getting hot. He set his mug down on the kitchen worktop. ‘Yes well, umm… I was told by my receptionist that you were in need of medical assistance.’

‘Oh yeah that’s right.’ She held up her arm. ‘It’s my arm you see, it hurts when I do certain tasks. It hurts quite a lot actually.’

‘Ms Fraser could you please roll up your sleeve so I can examine your arm.’ She pushed her sleeve up to her bicep and once again he was in awe at the size of her arms. They were bigger than his own. He really needed to get back to his fitness class. ‘Can you show me where the pain is?’

She pointed to her elbow. ‘It’s just before my elbow, it’s like a burning pain. It’s affecting my grip, and umm… it’s Roberta but people usually call me Bobby.’

‘Oh sorry - Bobby, can you hold your arm straight. That’s it, out in front of you with your wrist palm-side down.’ He put a gentle amount of pressure on her wrist and asked her to lift it up.

‘That hurts,’ she informed him through gritted teeth. ‘It burns.’ He released his grip on her wrist and pressed his thumb into the muscle by her elbow. She groaned with pain.

‘Yes, just as I thought,’ he rifled through his bag but came up empty handed. ‘It’s tennis elbow. You’ve most likely injured it by doing a repetitive activity or task and it’s put strain on the muscles that meet at the elbow. I thought I had some cortisol in my bag but haven’t. Come into the clinic tomorrow and I’ll give you an injection into your elbow.’

‘Will that fix my arm Doc?’ she asked, rubbing her sore elbow.

‘It’ll help a lot, it may even numb the pain entirely but you will need to have some physio to help strengthen the muscles.’

‘Thank you Doc.’ She offered him a warm smile.

‘It’s Harvey.’

‘Thank you Harvey,’ she smiled. ‘Would you like another coffee whilst the pot is still hot.’

He blushed; his hand went to the back of his head nervously. ‘I should really be getting back.’

‘Of course, you’ve got important doctoring to do I suppose. I’ll see you out. We don’t want you breaking a leg on my icy steps now do we?’

He hopped onto his quad bike; he hadn’t even considered wiping the snow off the seat before he sat down. He couldn’t take his eyes off Bobby. He dropped one of his gloves because he wasn’t concentrating. She scooped it up out of the snow and dusted the white fluff off it. He thanked her, his heart fluttered in his chest, when she helped him put it on his hand.

He put his helmet on. When he pulled his goggles down over his eyes he heard her chuckle again. Yoba, how he liked the way she laughed!

‘I’ll see you tomorrow then,’ he said - still not having taken his eyes off her.

‘Yes, I suppose you will,’ she winked and then chuckled again. ‘You’d better get going, I hear there’s a storm coming.’

He started the engine and finally turned away from her. He drove back to the clinic with a huge smile on his face.

Harvey was in love with the farmer! His chinos were soaked through from sitting on the snow, but that didn’t matter because HE WAS IN LOVE!


	2. Chapter 2

‘You did really well,’ Harvey praised her as he dropped the syringe into the yellow sharps bucket with his right hand and held a cotton ball to the injection site on her elbow with his left hand. ‘The anaesthetic will give you a temporary numbing effect, but you will feel the effects of the cortisol within about a week.’ He placed a strip of medical tape over the cotton ball, securing it in place, and then rolled his chair over to the bin where he disposed of his latex gloves.

‘It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. It must have been your steady hands,’ she complimented him. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks. She cupped her elbow in the palm of her hand protectively. ‘Will it really take that long to work, I thought I’d be pain free straight away.’ Her smile faded; she looked disheartened.

‘Once it starts to work, you _should_ hopefully be pain free,’ he reassured her and then turned towards his desktop computer. With a swish of the mouse the monitor flickered to life. His fingers click-clacked gracefully across the keyboard as he typed up the referral email. ‘I’ve referred you for some physio therapy sessions, you’ll receive a letter in the post with an appointment.’

‘That’s great Doc,’ she smiled. It warmed him to see her smile return. She had such a lovely smile. ‘My arm is already starting to feel better. I guess I’d better be getting back to the farm.’ 

‘You’ll need to rest your arm for the next twenty four hours, so no h...h-eavy lifting or operating heavy machinery.’

‘Ahh, well that might be a bit difficult considering I’ve got quite a lot to get done on the farm today.’

‘It’ll have to w… w-wait.’

Bobby smiled at him sweetly; her whole face lit up when she smiled. He reached across his desk and switched on his desk fan. The blades began to rotate instantly and he welcomed the cool air on his hot cheeks.

‘Okay, I’ll rest if that’s what the doctor is ordering.’

‘I am - I mean, you really should if you w… w-want a speedy recovery.’ Once again he found himself unable to take his eyes off her.

‘Well, I think I’ve taken up enough of your time.’ She picked up her shoulder bag from the floor and stood up from her seat.

‘Miss Fraser. Bobby w… w-would you um… would you like to have a drink with me in the Stardrop this evening?’

Harvey was completely shocked at the words he’d blurted out. He was never usually that confident; women terrified him. He slapped his hand to his forehead, which stung, and squeezed his eyes shut. Oh the humiliation!

‘Yes…’ Bobby nodded her head. ‘I would actually.’

He opened one eye, afraid to look in case she was mocking him, and then opened the other.

‘Really?’ His smile beamed across his face. The feeling of fear and the worry of being mocked had quickly dissipated. ‘Oh wow! Uhh… that’s incredible!’

Bobby chuckled. ‘I’ll meet you at eight.’

_____________

Harvey sat on his favourite barstool and rested his forearms on the countertop. He stared dreamily into his wine glass; all he could think about was _her_. She was so powerfully built, so tall, and so strong. She was also the most stunning creature he had ever set eyes on. Harvey had never met another woman like her, not once in all of his years. At the back of his mind he had a niggling worry that she might have been winding him up about meeting for drinks. Yoba, he hoped she wasn’t going to stand him up! She wouldn’t? Would she?

‘Can I top up your glass Doc?’ Gus, the landlord of the Stardrop Saloon offered. Harvey drank the remnants and nodded. He felt giddy and light headed; It wasn’t very often that he allowed himself to get a little tipsy. He wasn’t really a big drinker, he usually only frequented the saloon to seem sociable.

When he’d first arrived in Pelican Town some of the villagers had formed an inaccurate opinion of him - there was a rumour that he was stuffy and a bit of a loner. He had felt a strong sense of obligation to prove them wrong. Since then it had become a bit of a routine, and just like many of the villagers he could usually be found in the Stardrop Saloon of an evening. He mostly drank coffee but on the odd occasion he was partial to a glass of wine. He was no connoisseur but he knew what he liked and what he didn’t.

After paying Gus, he took a sip from his refilled glass and swished the wine around his mouth; he closed his eyes and relished the sweet taste. Wine was too easy to drink, it also had a tendency of going to his head too quickly.

He felt someone’s mouth against the side of his face; their hot boozy breath whispered something rather naughty into his ear. His breath caught, and he froze.

The tiny hairs on the back of his neck pricked up, a tingle crept up his spine, and he had an uncomfortable stirring in his underwear. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He was afraid to look at her, he’d been in a similar situation only weeks before, and she had been very _persuasive_ then. He had sworn he would never go down that route again; no matter how strong his urges were. He shook his head, and let out the breath he was unaware he had been holding.

‘I appreciate your very… ummm kind offer but unfortunately I must decline.’

‘Oh come on Doc, we’re both adults.’ Her hand slithered between his thighs and squeezed him playfully; she stroked him through the cotton of his trousers teasingly. He gasped; his mouth gaped open, and his brain began turning to mush.

‘I need to get some air!’ He clambered down from his bar stool with such haste that he nearly fell on to his arse. He abandoned his drink and quickly made his exit; away from Pam, her filthy mouth and wandering hands.

On the way out, in his panic to get as far away from Pam, he collided with Bobby. The force of the impact knocked her off her feet. He landed heavily, taking the wind out of himself. She groaned beneath his weight, confused by what had happened. For a moment he was dazed but he quickly came to his senses. He Felt terrible about it hurting her.

‘I’m so sorry!’ He clambered off her and pushed himself onto his knees; feeling slightly shaky and breathing rapidly. ‘I’m a complete idiot! Are you h… h… h-ur, umm… are you okay?’ He reached a hand out to pull her up, but she waved his offer away.

‘I’m fine, you daft bugger. Don’t you go worryin’ about me. I’m more worried about you - who were you runnin’ from? Changed your mind about having drinks with me, have you?’ Bobby chuckled as she got to her feet. She dusted herself down and then without warning gripped his forearm with one of her meaty hands and with a hefty tug, pulled him up to his feet. He looked down and noticed the cold wet patches on the knees of his chinos.

‘Are you sure you aren’t hurt? I feel terrible for running into you like that. I needed to… um, get away from a rather undesirable individual.’ He removed his glasses and took a small microfibre cloth out of his pocket and cleaned the smudges off the lenses. ‘Ah no, one of the arms is bent.’ He put a little bit of pressure on the frame of his spectacles and straightened the arm as best as he could.

‘Away from who?’ Bobby tilted her head and smirked. She was clearly amused by his dramatic exit from the pub.

‘Oh, umm…’ he blushed. ‘From Pam. She can be rather… intense.’ He popped his glasses on and looked away, trying not to think about her hand squeezing him. He shuddered, as if to clear the memory from his mind. Pam’s leathery fingers, crudely polished fingernails, and her breath; a mix of cigarettes and booze. He suppressed the urge to vomit. 

‘I see.’ She gave him a suspicious half closed-eyed-stare and grinned. ‘Maybe I don’t want to know.’

‘You really don’t.’ He scratched the back of his neck nervously and stared off into the distance. The feeling of Pam’s hooker-red lipstick smudged lips brushing across his skin was still fresh.

She pointed at something in the snow. ‘Oh, I think you might have dropped something, let me get it for you.’

He spotted it and picked it up out of the snow before Bobby could; it was his model aeroplane pocket reference book. His cheeks reddened. He shoved it into his pocket, hoping she hadn’t read the front cover.

He glanced away in the direction of home; his apartment with his shelves of model aeroplanes, that he’d invested hours of his time to, and his CB radio that he listened to nightly. Behind his ribcage his heart thumped so rapidly that he could hear it pulsating inside his ears. He moistened his lips with his tongue, which had gone very dry despite the glass of wine he had drunk.

‘It’s not mine. I found it this evening and thought I might attempt to locate the owner,’ he fibbed.

‘No need to be embarrassed,’ she responded, giving him an amused smile. She slapped her hand against his shoulder affectionately but it was rough enough that the force caused him to take a step sideways. ‘You’re a bit of a nerd aren’t you Harvey?’

‘Yes,’ he answered truthfully. He tried to hide his grin but his lips betrayed him. ‘I suppose you were going to find out sooner or later; you can hardly miss the model aircrafts in my apartment.’ He let out a laugh but realised what he’d said. He squeezed his eyes shut and slapped his palm to his face.

‘Really?’ She took a step towards him. ‘And, when were you planning to show me this collection of yours?’ She winked at him and laughed silently.

He swallowed hard; he really wished he hadn’t said what should have been internal dialogue. It was as if he had just confessed his heart's desires to her; he felt extremely exposed.

A trickle of sweat ran down his forehead; his thick winter coat made him feel like a joint of roasted beef, that had been left to rest, wrapped in kitchen foil.

He opened his eyes and nearly jumped out of his skin when he realised how closely she was standing.

‘Crikey!’ he gasped; his eyes focused on her full lips. All he could think about at that moment was how much he wanted to kiss her, to place his lips against hers and taste her lip gloss that sparkled under the street lights.

He motioned towards the Stardrop Saloon. ‘Bobby, please allow me to buy you a drink?’ he asked with an edge of desperation to his voice.

__________

Under the watchful eye of practically everyone in the Stardrop Saloon, he carried the drinks over to the small round table by the fireplace. The wine glasses clinked together as he carried them in one hand, and the bottle in his other.

Gus had raised an eyebrow at him when Harvey had asked for the full bottle of wine, rather than his usual single small glass. He supposed everyone knew he usually drank alone. Dr Harvey the loner. The singleton. The aging bachelor, who ate, drank, and slept alone. The doctor that blushed with embarrassment whenever school girls stopped to giggle at him, but who no one else ever seemed interested in.

Bobby sloshed a good measure of wine into a glass and pushed it towards him. She filled her own glass, almost to the brim, and took a large mouthful.

Harvey removed his coat and hung it over the back of his chair. Bobby had chosen a table near the fire. The embers crackled and popped in the fireplace. It was quite the romantic setting. There was even a small candle on the table between them; most of the wax had melted away but the light from the flickering flame still cast a pleasant glow across the polished oak table top.

‘So, um how do you like Pelican Town?’ He took a sip of wine and waited for her to answer. He hated small talk, especially with the opposite sex because he usually said something daft.

‘I love it here. It beats my old life, back in the city, working my arse off in a dead end job.’ She smiled. ‘The people are kind here, and they make me feel appreciated.’

‘That’s good to hear.’ Once again he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from her. ‘It's quite nice to have a new face in the village.’

‘It’s quite nice to be noticed, and not to be seen as just a number… or as Meatbag-Number-Five-One-Three-Nine as I used to joke about at work.’ Bobby leaned forward, she rested her elbows on the table and whether intentional or not she gave Harvey a very nice view of her cleavage. A deep valley between two voluptuous mountains. He felt hot under the collar again and scolded himself for the lust filled thoughts that infiltrated his mind. He could feel the tightness in his underwear once again. He pinched his bottom lip between his teeth and a groan escaped his mouth. He wanted to shove his face, cake-smash-style, into her magnificently wonderful pillow-esque bosom.

‘Oi!’ she clicked her fingers repeatedly in front of his eyes, that had glazed over, until she got his attention, ‘my face is up here.’

He stumbled through an apology, his words became increasingly more tangled the more flustered he became.

‘I w...w-w-w- wah...wah… dammit!’ He held his head in his hands and tried again. ‘I w...w-wasn’t staring. You must think I’m some sort of sex pervert.’ He hammered his fists down on the table in frustration. His speech impediment wasn’t usually so obvious. He had learned, at various points in his life, that stress and anxiety could worsen it.

‘Whoa, mate, calm down… I was only teasing you.’ She leaned across the table and placed a hand on his arm. ‘Sweetheart, I’m used to men staring. I’ve got my mother to thank for my, umm… you know, big boobs, and I really don’t think you are a sex pervert as you so amusingly put it.’

He placed two fingers to his wrist and felt for his pulse; it was racing. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the breathing techniques he’d found on YouTube. He needed to get a grip, to compose himself. He knew people were most likely looking at him, he had a habit of drawing attention to himself, and everyone seemed to find it especially entertaining when the town doctor made a fool of himself. He would be the focus of their amusement for weeks to come.

After a few deep breaths and a short moment spent with his eyes squeezed shut, he managed to pull his brain out of the thick haze it had got muddled up in. He took his time and considered his words before he spoke again. He made sure to keep his gaze at eye level.

‘Could…’ he took a breath before continuing, ‘could we… umm. Is there any chance we could pretend that didn’t happen?’ He was perspiring. He could feel the beads of sweat trickling down his cheeks.

She squeezed his arm. ‘If that’s what you want, then of course we can sweetheart.’

‘Thank you,’ He lifted his wineglass to his lips and took a large mouthful of wine. He gulped it down quickly. It wasn’t the best quality wine, but it was the best you could hope to find in the valley. She topped his glass up for him. He needed to slow down or he would end up getting quite drunk.

‘So tell me more about those aeroplanes of yours Harvey,’ she smiled behind her own glass of wine, her hand still resting on his arm. He enjoyed the connection, and hoped she would never let go.

He hooked a finger behind the knot in his necktie and pulled it loose. The relief was instant, just like releasing the pressurised air from the pinched neck of a balloon. Between his embarrassment from his stuttering and the heat from the blazing fireplace, he felt very hot.

She waited patiently for him to answer. He coughed to clear his throat and loosened his tie a little more.

‘I’ve been building and collecting model aircrafts for over ten years. I suppose you could say I’m an enthusiast; I’ve built close to sixty models. I would have built more but I have neither the room nor the spare cash these days.’ He froze. Why did he have to mention his limited funds? Way to go Harvey! Way to make yourself seem even less desirable.

‘Wow, that’s a lot of toys!’ She took a drink from her glass and gave his arm another squeeze before removing her hand to take her wallet out from her pocket. ‘Maybe you should have been a pilot.’

‘Maybe I should have,’ he smiled and then downed the rest of his drink. He felt the doom and gloom feeling wash over him, the sadness seeped into his pores and dragged him down into the darkness that he knew so well. He had always wanted to become a pilot. Even if he hadn’t been absolutely terrified of heights and if he hadn’t had poor eyesight, he would never have been able to afford the lessons. It was a dream he knew he needed to get over.

‘I’ll get us another round of drinks.’ The legs of her chair scraped loudly against the wooden floor as she pushed it back.

He watched her walk over to the bar, and felt a flutter in his chest when she looked back at him. He smiled at her, but she didn’t see it because she was talking to Gus.

‘Hey Doc, way to score with the farmer.’ Alex slapped him hard on the back, and laughed loudly. ‘You lucky git!’

Harvey went beetroot-red, and grinned sheepishly. ‘Oh, um…’ His hand went to the back of his neck again, where he caught a strand of hair between his fingers and twisted it.

‘How long have you been keeping this quiet for?’

‘Alex, it’s just drinks.’ Harvey shifted in his seat. ‘Please don’t ruin this for me.’

‘Ahh Doc, you sly old dog.’ Alex ruffled Harvey’s hair, much to Harvey’s annoyance. ‘Just drinks, yeah yeah pull the other one!’

‘If you don’t go away, I’ll umm… I’ll tell your grandmother about that issue you have with your-‘

Alex held up his hands in protest.

‘-You can’t do that, you aren’t allowed!’

‘I’m sure she’d be eager to h...h-help you apply the cream.’ Harvey chuckled under his breath. He was conscious of people eavesdropping, and didn’t want to draw further attention to himself.

‘That was discussed in confidence. You can’t tell her!’

‘It might slip out…’ Harvey threatened teasingly, ‘especially as I’ve got an appointment with your grandfather on Tuesday. You know how much your grandmother likes a chat over a few cups of tea and half a packet of digestive biscuits.’ He made a mental note to start cutting out the biscuits, he knew it wasn’t doing his weight any good. They tasted so good though!

Alex’s lips parted in horror. ‘Alright, alright! I’ll say no more about you and the hot farmer.’ Alex shrugged, but gave Harvey a moody look before he finally left him alone.

Harvey laughed loudly, he quite enjoyed seeing Alex squirm. He had no intention of sharing Alex’s medical history with anyone, especially not his grandmother; he didn’t want to give the poor woman a heart attack.

When Bobby returned with the drinks, she gave Harvey a look of bemusement.

‘What’s got you grinning like a Cheshire Cat?’

‘Oh, just some silly work related thing.’ He glanced towards the door where he could see Alex making his exit. ‘So umm… how are you finding farm life?’

‘It’s a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, but it keeps me busy and I quite enjoy it.’

‘Glad to hear it, but be sure to adhere to health and safety guidelines.’ He took a sip of wine and proceeded to lecture her. ‘Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day, especially on hot days. If you are working with machinery you must remember to wear your safety goggles, hard hat, and steel-toed work boots.’

‘Yes Doctor,’ she mocked him and sighed heavily. ‘I didn’t realise this was a health and safety meeting. Will I receive a hand out at the end or should I be writing this down?’ She rolled her eyes at him.

‘Ahh… sorry.’ He rubbed his thumb across the edge of his wine glass. ‘It’s a bit of a habit, I find it h…har-har… difficult. I find it difficult to remove my doctor’s cap sometimes. I’ve been doing it for so long, and most of the conversations I have with people are medical ones.’

‘I can understand that. I’ve not been a farmer long, but I’ve done my research and like to make sure I’m doing it right. I’m sure I’ve already bored half the village with my own ramblings.’

There was an awkward silence. He had never considered his medical advice as ‘ramblings’ before, nor had he thought people might find it ‘boring.’ Harvey drank some more of his wine, for something to do to fill the lull in the conversation. He licked his lips to moisten them.

‘I don’t really… date.’

‘I can tell.’ She grinned and then reached a hand across the table and combed her fingers through his hair. Harvey’s eyes closed in response to her touch. It was an amazing sensation, a warmth that spread from the tips of her fingers down to the middle of his spine. ‘That’s better, I can see your lovely green eyes now.’

Harvey smiled. He’d never been referred to as lovely before. Geeky - yes, but never lovely.

‘Have you dated much yourself?’ He had considered various versions of the question, and had decided that sounded the least offensive.

‘Actually yes.’ His heart sank in response to her answer. ‘I’ve dated one or two of the other villagers.’

‘Ohh…’

‘I’m still looking for love, and hopefully _The One_ if you know what I mean.’

‘Oh yes yes - yes of course. Well I’m shhh-ure you won’t be looking for long.’ He wanted to kick himself. Why did he say that?

‘Hopefully not,’ she glanced past him towards the door and smiled.

Harvey twisted in his seat to see who or what had caught her attention. Shane had entered the saloon and was making his way over to the bar. Harvey grumbled under his breath. He’d lost count of the amount of times he had warned Shane about the dangers of drinking excessively. His advice had fallen on deaf ears.

Bobby waved at Shane, but he either ignored her or didn’t see her. He was busy ordering himself a beer from Gus.

‘Are you friends with Shane?’

‘I wouldn’t say friends exactly but I’m working on it.’

‘I’m sure he’d appreciate your friendship, I don't believe he has many friends per say.’ Harvey tilted his wrist to view his watch. ‘Ohh, look at the time. I should probably head home.’

Bobby had a look of disappointment on her face ‘Well, this was fun. We should do it again another time.’

She wanted to see him again. He was dumbfounded. Women hardly ever considered him for a first date, let alone a second date.

‘Oh yes, yes of course. I’d really like that.’ He stood from his seat and picked up her jacket. He held it out to her.

‘Thank you, you are a sweetie Harvey.’

__________

‘W...w-well this is me,’ Harvey motioned with a flick of his head towards the clinic door. His lonely apartment above his place of work; he had forgotten to leave a light on. He glanced through the glance, so dark and uninviting. The dark always seemed so spooky; anyone or anything could be lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce.

‘So it is,’ she stopped in front of him, and seemed to sway on her feet as if pulled in two directions. He wondered what she was thinking. Should he invite her in for a coffee, wasn’t that what they did in the movies?

‘I have coffee, if you’d like to come up.’ He knew it was most likely cliché but he asked anyway.

Bobby pinched her top lip between her teeth and shook her head. ‘Thank you for the offer, but I’ve got an early start in the morning so I’d best be heading home.’

His heart sunk to the bottom of his feet; right down to his heels where it would be crushed with every step he took up to his apartment, which would forever be a solo trip.

‘I just remembered I have some paperw… w-ork I need to go through anyway, so...’ It was another fib, he didn’t want her to know how disappointed he was that he wasn’t The One.

‘Harvey.’ She reached her hand towards his face and pushed his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose.

‘Yes?’ he replied dreamily, staring at her. She was so beautiful, and so very tall. He could lean forward, just a foot, and kiss her on those glossy lips. Being in her presence was intoxicating. His feet were planted as if he’d stood in cement; he didn’t want to go home. He knew he should, it was the gentlemanly thing to do.

‘Has anyone ever told you how cute your stutter is?’

Harvey paused, surprised at how direct she had been. Most people he met usually ignored his occasional speech impediment or, if they were a bit mean, made fun of him for it.

‘I find it rather annoying.’ He stared at her trying to figure out whether or not she was teasing him. Her smile told him she was amused. ‘It makes me sound like I have no confidence. W...w-which, given my choice of profession, isn’t a good trait’

‘I think it makes you sound adorable,’ she smiled, and pecked him on the cheek. Her lips were warm and soft against his stubbly skin. ‘Good night Harvey.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I hope you have just as much fun reading it :)


	3. Chapter 3

Harvey had gone to bed happy, and had woken up the following morning with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. He felt like he was floating on a cloud. He actually had a chance of having something real, with someone who seemed to like him back. He had lost count of the number of years he had spent pining after Maru, with the hope that she might one day see him the same way as he saw her. He beamed at Maru when he saw her; he wondered if it was too soon to tell her about Bobby.

‘What’s got you smiling like that?’ Maru raised an eyebrow and returned his smile. She was sitting behind the reception desk looking at her phone. Harvey didn’t mind, they were never really what you would call busy and he usually played _Old School Runescape_ on his own iphone on quieter days. He was getting quite good at it too, he’d almost obtained all of the skill capes. It was a retro style online role-playing game that he’d started playing two years ago; Maru teased him about it but he simply shrugged off her comments. He was used to being teased by her; he enjoyed the interaction. He glanced down and noticed her steaming coffee mug.

‘Uh? Like what?’ He picked up the mornings post and busied himself by tearing open one of the envelopes. ‘Is there any coffee?’

‘All goofy, big grin like a Cheshire Cat.’ She rolled her eyes at him. ‘Have you finally lost the plot Doc? Do I need to call the men in white coats?’

‘Oh, umm… I h...h-had a date last night.’ His grin widened. ‘With the farmer.’

‘Whoa, are you being serious? You wouldn’t tell fibs now would you Doc?’

‘She kissed me,’ he replied dreamily.

‘Wow!’ Maru’s eyes widened so much that if they opened any wider they might have popped out of her head.

‘I think I’m going to ask her to marry me.’

‘Marry you? Uhh, back up a second…’ She folded her arms across her chest.

‘I can’t stop thinking about her Maru. She’s the most magnificent creature I have ever laid eyes on.’ Maru’s brow furrowed but Harvey was too busy day dreaming to notice.

‘You can’t ask someone you barely know to marry you!’

‘W...w-why not?’ He frowned. ‘It happens all the time in films.’

‘Because real life doesn’t work like that.’

‘Oh I suppose you are right… as usual.’ He pouted his bottom lip but then he burst into laughter. ‘I guess I should really see how our second date goes first!’

Maru laughed loudly and jabbed him playfully in the arm. He winced and rubbed the soreness out of his bicep.

‘So come on… don’t leave me hanging. How did your date go?’

‘Oh, uhh,’ he scratched the back of his neck. ‘She seemed to enjoy herself, and she thinks my stutter is adorable.’

‘Adorable?’

‘Yes… adorable.’ He elongated each syllable.

Maru flung her arms around him and hugged him excitedly. The squeal of joy that burst out from her lips was so loud that he jumped in fright.

‘So tell me about this kiss!’ Harvey felt his cheeks grow warm. ‘Was it a full on snog? Did she stick her tongue down your throat? Did you stick your tongue down her throat?’

‘Maru, please!’ He folded his arms across his chest.

‘Alright, sorry! You know what I’m like, I get excited and I need all of the details.’ She giggled excitedly.

‘It was just a peck on the cheek but it was like being kissed by a marshmallow.’

‘A marshmallow?’ She raised her hands to her mouth and stifled a laugh. ‘You do have a funny way with words Doc.’ He shrugged, not looking at her, and stared out of the window dreamily.

‘So when will you be seeing… Marshmallow-Lips again?’ She was in hysterics.

‘This evening, and umm… Maru please don’t call her that!’

’Okay…’ She gave him another playful jab in the arm.

———

He picked one more flower, a purple crocus, from the grassy patch on the mountain trail, and added it to the rest of the bunch. He had spent almost twenty minutes carefully selecting the best looking wildflowers that the valley had to offer.

Harvey removed a small roll of medical tape from his jacket pocket and tore off a strip with his teeth. He wrapped it tightly around the stems as neatly as he could. He was impressed, if it wasn’t for the medical tape, the bouquet may have passed for store bought and he couldn’t afford store bought right now so he was very happy. She was cooking dinner for him, so he couldn’t turn up empty handed.

With a heavy groan he hopped back onto his quad bike and set off up the trail towards the carpenter’s workshop. Butterflies fluttered inside his stomach, but a smile beamed across his face. He could not wait to see her, he was excited, but he was also anxious about making a fool out of himself again.

In his excitement, and hope of getting another kiss from Bobby, Harvey opened up the throttle with a quick flick of his right wrist and he sped off up the trail. The bike lurched forward hungrily as the engine rumbled beneath him. He was a big kid in his element; he could see the plume of snow and gravel that flicked up behind the rear wheels in his side mirrors. He looked over his shoulder to get a better view of the tyre tracks and that was when things suddenly went pear shaped. One of the front wheels hit a large boulder which flipped the quad bike forward. Harvey was thrown from the saddle and that was all he remembered.

———

Harvey’s eyelids fluttered open. It was all a confusing blur. Why did he feel so cold and why did he feel like he’d been hit in the back with a cricket bat? A high pitched sound, a ringing, invaded his ears and bore into his skull and somewhere nearby an engine chugged away. He blinked several times, trying to make sense of his surroundings, of where he was and why he was there. His vision was doubled, two images of blue and white and brown twisted and spun before his eyes. Everything merged together and then twisted apart again and again like liquid swirling down a plug hole. He tried to make sense of what had happened and where he was but his head was so muddled. His brain felt like it had been rattled about inside his skull.

He could see an array of colours but couldn’t identify them. There was a sort of light blue; that could possibly be the sky… or was it the river? He did feel wet. He was so disoriented. There was brown, lots of bown. Could that be the forest, was he in the forest? The white he could identify, he could feel it; the thick blanket of fluffy icy cold snow. He could make out the outline of a building. It had a rich brown, no… red cladding? There were other colours too, all the colours of the rainbow, like the light passing through a prismatic shard. It was beautiful. Harvey lifted up his goggles and placed them on top of his helmet. He balled his fists up and rubbed them into his eyes. The kaleidoscopic colours began to fade as his vision returned to normal.

The trees, with their bare branches stretched out like skeletal fingers, and appeared to curl down towards him where he lay helpless on the ground. It was as if they were trying to grasp hold of him, to drag him off to some hellish nightmare. His breath caught in his chest and he began to tremble .He covered the opening to his helmet, with his hands so they blocked out the creepy images his imagination was creating. Harvey was a grown man but he would be the first to admit that he wasn’t a brave person. On many occasions whilst walking back from the Stardrop Saloon he had admittedly jumped at the sight of his own shadow.

The clouds drifted overhead, shifting their shapes into what appeared to be an elephant, then a large bearded man holding a spade, and finally a steaming teapot.

Harvey groaned loudly, he began to feel rather uncomfortable. The wet snow was seeping into his jeans, and the material was stiffening against his calves. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed since he had opened his eyes but the world around him appeared to be returning to normal; no longer a haze of confusing colour. His head pounded, his back hurt, but the worst thing was his leg. The pain was horrendous. He tried to shift his position to see and instantly regretted it. He hissed through his teeth, and tried to contain the wail of pain that followed but failed miserably.

He heard a latch click, and a door creak open on its hinges. Someone was coming. They would help him.

‘Doctor Harvey?’ a woman’s voice called to him. ‘Oh Yoba! Maru, get your father! It’s Doctor Harvey, he’s hurt.’

He lifted his head to see who it was, but his helmet felt like a lead weight on his neck so he let it fall back into the snow. Robin, the local carpenter, knelt down next to him. She glanced down at the lower half of his body, and he could have sworn he’d heard her say, ‘Oh shit!’

‘You are going to be okay Doc,’ the smile on her face looked forced, and the fact she was avoiding his eye contact made him worry, ‘try not to panic.’

‘H...h…’ his teeth had begun to chatter, ‘h...h-how bad is it Robin?’ He was so cold, so cold that he had begun to shiver.

‘Maru! Fetch some blankets, and a towel - one of the fresh ones from the tumble dryer! We need to keep him warm,’ she yelled back towards the Carpenter’s workshop where she both worked and lived. She returned her attention to Harvey, still avoiding his gaze, ‘there’s umm.. a fair bit of blood Doc.’

Panic had begun to set in; he had to see the damage. ‘Help me up, I need to see. Send Maru to get my medical bag from the clinic.’ He paused when he heard boots crunching through the snow.

Demetrius dropped to his knees and leaned in close to Harvey. ‘Hey there buddy, that’s quite the pickle you’ve got yourself into.’

‘I don’t really remember w-what happened.’ He saw Maru; she passed something to her mother and then gently placed a thick blanket over his chest and arms. ‘Maru, I’m going to need you to fetch my bag. What on earth is that bloody noise? The humming sound.’

‘It’s your bike.’ Demetrius answered him; his hands were at Harvey’s shoulders applying gentle pressure. Harvey’s eyebrows knitted together when he saw Robin nod what seemed like a silent reply to her husband.

‘Agghhhhhh!! No! Stop! Stop! Stop!’ He could not control the flow of words and spittle that left his lips. The pain burned intensely. Robin had applied pressure to his leg, and it was excruciating. ‘Oh Yoba! Please, stop - get aw-w-way from me! It hurts so much!’ He writhed but it only made things worse. He sobbed inaudible words and a stream of tears ran down his cheeks.

‘I’m so sorry Harvey.’ Robin offered him a pained look that almost matched his own. She was using his name; she never used his name. She always called him Doc. ‘I’ve got to keep pressure on your wound, that’s right isn’t it?’

He nodded several times whilst hissing through his teeth again;his eyes were squeezed shut.

‘Demetrius.’ he paused to catch his breath.’H… h-how bad is it?’ He slowly opened his eyes to see the candour in his friend's facial expression.

‘Well, you’ve lost your shoe,’ Demetrius tried to lighten the severity of the situation. Harvey let out a weak laugh and groaned again. Demetrius glanced across at his wife who was biting her bottom lip.

Maru was on her mobile phone pacing back and forth in front of the house; the hand not holding her phone was cupping the back of her neck. She wasn’t in range for Harvey to hear. The rumbling engine had stopped, so it had either given up the ghost or Maru had removed the key from his quad bike.

Harvey moved his hands to his neck. His fingers trembled as he tried to release the buckle under his chin. He needed some air.

‘Yeah, how about we leave that on buddy.’ Demetrius gently moved Harvey’s fingers away from the buckle. ‘It might be the only thing holding your head on.’ Harvey chuckled softly.

‘They are sending a helicopter, it’ll be here in less than six minutes,’ Maru told them.

‘A helicopter?’ he grinned widely. He wondered if they'd let him sit up front with the pilot. Would they let him wear the headset? ‘I always w...w-wanted to become a pilot. It was my dream.’

‘Good work Maru,’ Demetrius thanked his daughter.

‘Harvey, are you alright? I’ve been wondering where you were; you were meant to be sat at my dinner table an hour ago. I was thinking I must have been wrong about you, and that’s when Maru phoned me and said you’d been in an accident.’

Harvey responded to Bobby’s voice and tried to sit up. Demetrius stopped him; he pushed him back down firmly.

‘Flowers,’ he hissed through his gritted teeth.

‘Easy there mate. I don’t think that’s a good idea, not with the way your leg is.’

‘Flowers,’ he tried again, ‘I picked you some flowers.’

‘Never mind about flowers. Harvey did you crash your bloomin’ quad bike, is that what happened to you, you daft bugger?’ She froze when she saw his injury, her hands went to her face. ‘Ohhh, shit.’

‘Oh is that what I did? He felt very light headed, he assumed his blood pressure was low. ‘Tell me the truth, h-how’s my leg looking?’

‘It doesn’t look good Harvey… I can see your bone,’ she responded hesitantly.

‘Let me see!’ He batted away Demetrius’ attempt at keeping him horizontal and, despite the horrendous pain, he managed to prop himself up on his elbows. When he saw the damage he immediately turned away and vomited on to the crisp white snow.

A sharp splintered piece of his tibia jutted out from between Robin’s hands where she applied pressure to his wound. The towel she’d used was soaked scarlet with his blood.

‘He’s very pale,’ Robin shot a look of concern at her husband. ‘how long now until help gets here?’ She tried to nod subtly towards the blood seeping out between her fingers.

‘I’m losing too much blood.’ His mouth had gone dry. Harvey licked his lips to moisten them. ‘The bone must have nicked an artery.’

‘I can see the helicopter, it’s here!’ Maru shouted; an edge of relief to her voice.

The whoosh of cold air from the rotor blades swept Bobby and Robin’s hair across their faces. Harvey found it surprisingly refreshing.

‘I’m so thirsty,’ Harvey complained, ‘can someone get me some w...w… water.’ He then lost consciousness.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! I wrote this in a couple of hours after being inspired by some Harvey fan art I came across 😊


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